


Before it began, it all ended.

by LittleBat



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Babybones, Child Abandonment, Dadster, Gaster is a good guy ok, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, New Family, Papy is a baby, Sad Sans, Sans had a bad time, cause i ship them, except maybe toriel and asgore, gunna be lots of hurt here, happy gaster, happy pappy, hopefully some fluff too, pre-game, won't be anything romantic on here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-18 04:10:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5897719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBat/pseuds/LittleBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. W.D. Gaster is one of the smartest monsters to live, and when all of monster kind is sentenced to existence underground for the rest of eternity, he is given the daunting task of making things brighter, literally, for his kind. How he, a young theoretical scientist, can be expected to do so much is beyond him, but he's determined to not let down his King and kind.</p><p>When heading home from a long days work Gaster happens upon something that will change his life, hopefully for the better, and maybe even be the help he needs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Random happen-stance becomes a happy-chance

**Author's Note:**

> OK! I'm having writers block on my other fic, so decided to write another in an attempt to pass through it. Changed up my writing style and everything, also going to be making the chapters longer. 
> 
> This is a prequel to my story Never Stop (don't know how to link things), but can be read as a stand alone. Comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated!

The alarm’s sudden blaring shocked the tall skeleton monster from his sleep, causing him to flinch and scatter papers around his desk. He rubbed his eye sockets blearily, sparing a moment to give his clock a well-deserved glare before standing up and stretching himself out. At 2.51 meters in height he was quite tall, even for a skeleton, but lacked the bulk that would make him imposing. Most of the height his lanky build had came from his legs, being nearly twice the length his proportions were supposed to have. Not that he minded his height, but it had made finding clothing that fit him properly hard to come by, even when he lived above ground.

The thought of above ground caused all sorts of painful, wistful, longing, emotions to course through him. They had been cast under the mountain nearly two decades ago and most monsters were still reeling from the loss, the skeleton included. He missed the feeling of the sun warming his bones, the sheer vastness of the horizon, all the things for him to study. Most of all he missed his access to books. For a while he’d re-written some of his favourite science tomes by memory, then simply wrote a journal of what he knew. On lucky days he was able to find some textbooks that had been thrown away by the humans above and made their way to the dump below. While some were waterlogged and damaged beyond repair, others he was able to restore partially and bring to the lab. Lab was a bit of an overstatement to the building, if Gaster thought about it too much. It was simply a large building, one of the biggest built so far, with several different offices for each scientist who ‘worked’ there. Gasters office was the biggest, holding multiple desks where his projects lay scattered, and his team of 12 others had rooms of varying sizes. 

Shaking his head to chase away the lingering memories of a lost time the tall figure straightened his simple white turtle-neck and shrugged on his signature black trench coat, deciding his work was done for the evening. Morning. Another glare was given to the clock, now reading out 2:18 in an almost apologetic way, before the slender monster made his way through his lab. He was the recently appointed Royal Scientist, charged with being the lead of all the other, academically inclined, monsters as well as finding a way to help monster kind thrive underground. New Home, built mostly from scraps and garbage, was in a terrible state. Many monsters lived in abject poverty, at least those who survived the first years. With no power, the general populace relied on their own magic to keep themselves warm and give them light in this darker environment. The weaker monsters, ones whose magic couldn’t hold up to the strain or were unable to live in the terrible dank caves, hadn’t lasted very long. 

Flicking off the lights in his office then locking the door behind him, the monster gave his name plate a rueful glance. ‘Dr. W.D. Gaster’ engraved in flowing script, with the same words copied beneath in Hands, the skeleton language. It had been a gift from king Asgore upon getting his new position, and looking at if filled Gaster with both hope and despair. While old compared to other monsters, being around 250 years old, he was still young in the skeleton sense. Skeleton monsters tended to age differently compared to others, but if Gaster had to put his age their way he would be around 25. Much too young to have the weight of saving monster-kind on his shoulders, but he carried that burden anyway. His most pressing task was to find a way to create energy for the Underground, electricity to light their way and heat their homes. It wasn’t in his area of expertise, the scientist preferred academic being magical theory, not energy production, but according to his king he was the most suited for the job. 

The walk from the lab where he and the other scientist worked to his home was not long, but was cold and dark. What sunlight that managed to break through the cracks in the cavern above would not be out for a while, but that didn’t bother Gaster too much. He called on a bit of his magic into his eyes until he lit the path in front of him in a soft purple glow. The cold didn’t affect skeletons as much, not having skin or nerves helped, but the chill wind cut through his coat and through his ribs, making him shiver and pop his collar around his neck. He made his way through the weaving streets of Home quickly, wanting to be home before the rest of the cities inhabitants woke for the day, but a soft noise halted him. It had been quiet, and so faint that Gaster wasn’t even sure he’d really heard anything. Silence surrounded the skeleton as he stood stock still, almost ready to call it a slip of his imagination before he heard it again.

A sob. More of a whimper actually, but it sounded pretty close. Tilting his head to the side, he cocked his non-existent ears and listened harder. Again is sounded, from an alley near by, but Gaster hesitated. Unfortunately monsters had been ‘falling down’ at an alarming pace down here, and while he wished differently, he couldn’t help. He didn’t have the skills of healing magic, beyond the very basics, nor did he have the means to help every monster. The faint cry sounded again, rousing him from his dark thoughts. Despite his misgivings, he simply couldn’t leave whomever it was alone, even if all he could do was simply be there for them. He took soft steps towards the alley, casting his light around in an attempt to find the source. He barely glanced at the small bundle of cloth huddled by a box, before it moved ever so slightly and he jumped his vision back to it. 

Carefully, not wanting to alarm the monster, Gaster lifted the edge of what was once a blanket and couldn’t help his gasp of shock and dismay. Curled on the unforgiving stone were two small skeletons. The smaller one, only a baby judging from the size, was wrapped in a bright red cloth and held tight to the other child's chest. Small tears dripped from his eyes, pupils dimmed so much Gaster could barely see them, and another whimper escaped. So this was the source of the noise. Looking at the larger child nearly made tears spill from his own sockets. There was no sign of life at all from the child, and slight traces of dust were already forming beneath him. He was wearing a large hoodie, though Gaster couldn’t tell the original colour from all the dirt on it, and had his hand protectively on the babes chest.

Gaster reached for the small bundled child, only lifting him slightly before the older child’s grip suddenly tightened. Small pupils flickered on in the dying skeletons sockets, flickering between orange and blue. He met Gasters shocked expression with a tired glare, tugging slightly on the infant. 

“don’t hurt him.” The monsters pained voice was quiet but determined, and Gaster noticed with clinical detachment that the dust pile had stopped growing. Then the reality of his words sunk in, and the scientist spoke back.

“I’m not going to hurt him, or you. I’m going to help you. It’ll all be alright.” He mentally chided himself on his false promise, knowing there was probably nothing he could do for at least the older boy, but determined to try. With care he didn't know he had, the lean skeleton gathered up the two children into his arms, careful to keep the baby in the older ones grip. The color had left their pupils but the older child still watched him with wary acceptance. Gaster tucked the children into his coat and, after a moment's indecision on which was closer, set off quickly for his house.


	2. Chapter 2: Toasty warm and squeaky clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy this chapter ended up being a lot bigger than I planned. I originally intended to do about 1000 words per chapter, but this one has over 2000! Didn't want to split it up tho, so enjoy it!
> 
> ALSO! Thank you so much for the kudos and views and omg bookmarks! That's so exciting for me, I'm trying out a new writing style and wasn't really sure how it was going, but yay!
> 
> Please forgive my penchant for alliteration. I enjoy it, probably too much, and it's gunna be in most of my chapters.

It seemed like only minutes before the skeleton trio made it to the small house Gaster called home. A benefit to having long legs was the amount of distance they could cover in a single pace, but they didn’t help him in the slightest as he juggled the two children in an attempt to get his keys out and door open. His home was dark and cold, the fire in the mantle long since burnt out. It had been days since he had been home, the old monster noted, gently placing his delicate bundle on the couch. His home was fairly large, compared to some of the more shacks that most monsters lived in, but was by no means opulent. The doorway opened to the living room, large enough to fit some bookcases, a small dresser, and a decent sized couch facing the fireplace. On the opposite side of the room from the front door was the entry to the kitchen. It wasn’t much, a simple cooker and fridge that relied on routine input of his magic to function, and a small counter. No table or chairs, though there was a space for them, because when Gaster did actually remember to eat he usually did so in his office upstairs.

What made his home more lavish than others was the second floor, which held three rooms, plus a small closet. At the top of the stairs, easy access to a rushed scientist, was his home office. He occasionally worked from here when he couldn’t be bothered to go to the lab, sorting through his ideas and trying to figure out what he was doing. It was pretty messy, the only messy room in the whole house, with it’s desks covered in papers, books, notes, empty mugs, and broken or failed projects. Beside that room was probably the most unused room in the house, Gasters bedroom. It had a fairly large bed, specially made to accommodate his tall stature, a bedside table with a magic-lamp, and a small closet. At the end of the upper hall was the bathroom with the one thing Gaster had splurged on; a large clawfoot tub. It had taken him weeks of searching to find it, and even longer to get it fixed and cleaned, but nothing beat relaxing his tired bones in a hot bath. Even if he had to warm the water up with his magic, it was still worth it.

A hot bath would do wonders for the kids soon, but first the angular skeleton hurried to the hearth, lighting a fire with his magic and feeding it until it would no longer need constant attention to live. He piled the firewood high, and gave it an extra magical push to help warm the house faster. Stopping at the children huddled on his couch, Gaster grabbed the blanket folded on the back and wrapped them up in it before pushing the couch closer to the fire. He was, by all accounts, the cliche nerd, so moving a heavy piece of furniture around was not something he enjoyed. The long couch was old and heavy, the two kids curled up on it not really adding to the weight but not helping either. When it was close enough that Gaster could feel the warmth of the fire but didn’t fear the kids rolling into the hearth he gave up with a sigh.

A rattling, wet cough from the older child gave him pause as he started towards the kitchen. Skeleton health was weird, to put it simply. While they lacked the organs that most monsters had, it was still possible for them to get sick. Pneumonia was one of the hardest things to heal a skeleton of, and one of the most deadly. Medicine was hard to come by in the Underground and those monsters who had healing magic were in high demand. With any luck the older boy simply had a cold, but Gaster wouldn’t put any money on it. He decided to find a doctor in the morning. Well, once the morning was at a more reasonable time.

In the kitchen he filled his largest spaghetti pot with the hottest water from the taps before placing it on the stove. He was lucky to have running water, he knew that, but he wished that the ‘hot’ water was more than just slightly above room temperature. Setting the water to boil with a bit of his magic Gaster then went upstairs and started filling the bath, using his magic to heat the filling tub. He wasn’t really good at this kind of magic, being better at making projections and holograms, or using his magic to see more detailed information. If he really focused his magical ‘sight’ he could sometimes see what made up whatever he was looking at, or how it worked. It drained him to do so, but had come in very handy with his work. He hadn’t thought about it much before, but he wished now more than ever that he had the green healing magic that was becoming a rarity these days. 

Once the tub was ½ full with warm water Gaster retrieved the large pot of boiling water and poured it in until the bath was a decent enough temperature. Normally he preferred it to be much hotter, but didn’t know what the kids would like. He didn’t know anything about kids, if the thought about it. He had been an only child, raised in a strict household. His own father had been a scientist as well, and while never harsh or mean, wasn’t the best at showing his affections towards his son. The only time Gaster had earned his praise was when he’d done anything of academic worth, which is probably what had inspired him into this field. His mother, on the other hand, was the sweetest monster, and had never been shy about showing her love. They had waited late in their life to have him, and though he had a happy childhood, they were gone far too early. Thankfully they had been spared the horrors of the war, which started a few years after they ‘fell down’, and never had to live Underground.

Shaking himself from his memories Gaster hurried down the stairs to where the kids were waiting before heading back to his room and grabbing some clean clothes, the smallest he had. The kids would be swimming in them, but there was no way he was going to bathe them and then dress them in their dirty clothes again. The house had warmed up considerably, causing him to throw his coat onto the couch arm when he went back downstairs, before bending in front of the kids. They had stopped shivering, which he supposed was good, but the older ones breathing was ragged and wet sounding. Gently he lifted the two, still wrapped in the blanket, and carried them to the bathroom. Kneeling beside the tub, he set his bundle on the ground before gently lifting the baby and setting him to the side. The larger child stirred from their sleep at this, their pupils lighting dimly in their sockets. A small hand reached out towards the baby before falling with a clatter.

“It’s okay.” Gaster hushed, gently unwrapping the child from the blanket cocoon. With great care he started to undress the sickly skeleton, tactfully ignoring the soft protests and faint resistance. Once the child was undressed, sitting on the blanket and giving him a defiant yet afraid glare, Gaster took a second to look over the small male’s body. Faint cracks ran along the ribs, and there were patches of bone a lighter colour than the rest, indicating new growth. He was sure there would be more visible once the dirt and grime was washed off, but the overall effect was heart wrenching. This child had been through something no one should have, the evidence of his abuse nearly causing Gaster to wretch. How anyone could do this, to a child no less, angered him, but he kept his hands gentle as he lifted the kid and placed him in the tub slowly, letting his bones get used to the heat. 

To his credit, the older child only flinched slightly on contact with the water before letting out a quiet sigh and sinking in. Gaster couldn’t help but wonder when the last time this child had been given a bath, or when they had even been warm. It hurt to think about, so he turned his attention to the baby skeleton. Unwrapping him from the red blanket, Gaster was surprised to see that the child was older than he’d originally thought, more of a toddler than an infant. Undressing him proved easy, and his bones were blissfully clear of any scars or marks, but were still smaller and more frail than they should have been. Malnutrition was common in the Underground, but seeing it’s effects first hand was new to Gaster.

Gently, as to not wake the sleeping young one, Gaster placed him in the warm tub, letting his body float while supporting his head with one hand. Using his free hand the scientist took a face cloth and wet is slightly before running it over the child, washing away the dirt. He noticed the older boy watching with concern, his dim white pupils locked on the younger one though he made no movements. The baby woke with his ministrations, his pupils much brighter than before. He looked at the older child before back to Gaster, and laughed loudly when the cloth was brought along his ribs. Gaster couldn’t help but smile back, not even minding when the moppet started splashing in the water and getting his turtleneck soaked. His burbles and coo’s were infectious, and the ‘adult’ found himself mimicking them back with a smile before he realized what he was doing. 

With a blush he glanced at the older youth, who was watching with confusion and amusement. Gaster finished washing the tot quickly, noticing how the warm water was making him drowsy, before drying him off and putting him in the smallest shirt he had. The neck was much too large, easily fitting over the child's head, so he made a quick knot on the side to keep it in place before bundling him up in the excess fabric. With it being so big there was no need for a blanket, something the eldest skeleton noted with amusement. Turning to the other child Gaster began washing him too, going extra gently over the cracks and healed breaks, ignoring any flinching. He spoke softly, saying it would all be okay and other reassurances to calm them. It seemed that the hot water was helping with their breathing, the youngster barely coughed during the whole ordeal. 

Once Gaster was satisfied with the clean bones he lifted the child from the tub and set him down, a little proud when they managed to stay standing, using the tub for support. It was obvious to the adult that the child was exhausted, but was still determined. He still needed help getting dressed, using all his energy to simply stay standing, and Gaster wasted no time drying them off and pulling a sweater over their head. It’s length went down past the child’s knees, and Gaster had to roll the sleeves up many times before they reached his wrists, but it would do. Carefully, as to not wake the sleeping baby bones, Gaster lifted him and cradled him in one arm before lifting the older skeleton in his other and carrying them to his room. His bed was still unmade from the last time he slept in it, so he placed the older child down gently at the head of the bed before putting the baby beside him. Wasting no time the freshly cleaned elder curled himself protectively around the youth, a faint smile on his face. Gaster pulled the blanket over them, flicked on the bedside light, then left the room quietly. He grabbed a spare blanket from the closet before flopping down on the couch tiredly, sleep claiming him quickly.


	3. Chapter 3: Happy bellies Happy Babies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just noticed that the fonts I use on google docs aren't carried over onto here, and that kinda annoys me. I used different fonts for whoever was talking, but now I can't. bleh #.#

While the couch was long and could easily fit 3 decent sized monsters, 4 if they squished together, it was still too short for Gasters long body. The quirky scientist had slept on it before, many times in fact, when he was too tired or lazy to make the walk to his room. His options were to either have his feet on the armrest or his head raised up slightly more than he liked it being, though he hadn’t been paying attention when he went to sleep last night and ended up with a mixture of the two. Needless to say he was quite sore when he woke up, his body protesting when he stood. For a moment he couldn’t remember why he’d slept on the couch, but the memories came flooding back as he rubbed his eye sockets wearily. With sleepy steps he made his way upstairs, carefully opening the door to his room and peeking in. The two boys were fast asleep, cuddled together in the same position he had originally found them. He watched for a minute or two, ensuring himself they were both okay and breathing before shutting the door softly and heading to the kitchen.

While not a breakfast monster himself, he knew the kids would be hungry and should eat something soon. Monster food had natural healing properties, being made with magic, and hopefully mixing in a bit of medicinal herbs would heal that cough the older child had. Only issue was actually making the food, Gaster thought with a sigh. His cupboards were mostly barren save for a few cans of soup and some random ingredients. Adult skeletons didn’t need to eat as much as other monsters, the magic that held their bodies together sustaining them. It felt weird not to, and eating helped replenish his magic faster, but Gaster had a tendency to go without eating until one of his coworkers got annoyed and made him something. Apparently he got grumpy when he hadn’t eaten in a couple weeks. Who knew?

Making a mental note to go shopping, Gaster grabbed some bags of oatmeal from the shelf and set some water to boil. It wouldn’t be much, so he took a can of fruit, something rare to find and expensive to purchase, as well as some brown sugar to add in. It took him only a few minutes to prepare the meal, using every last bit of his oats in the process, and he grabbed three bowls and spoons, set them on a serving tray with the fruit medley in a separate bowl. As an afterthought he took two glasses and filled them with milk, adding a bit of herbal medicine to one, before heading to his room once again. He was actually a bit proud of the breakfast, him not being much of a cook, so he entered the room with a small smile. Apparently he had not been as quiet as he thought and was met with the eyes two very awake, but completely silent, skeleton children sitting on his bed. 

Slowly, as to not frighten them, Gaster sat on the floor at the head of the bed, setting the food on the ground beside him. He was easily face to face with the kids, and met their wary stares with an easy smile.

“Good morning. I have made some breakfast, if you would care to join me.” He spoke in Hands, the language that all skeletons were born knowing. Recognition flashed in the older childs eyes as he hugged the younger tighter to his chest, hesitating just slightly before giving a small nod. Gaster nodded back, filling up two of the bowls with oatmeal and fruit before placing them on the bed and reaching out for the youngest skeleton. The older one flinched back, hugging the small bundle tighter and away.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt him. I was going to feed him while you ate. Is that alright?” It took longer for the child to nod this time, his anxiety and indecision clear on his face, but he eventually did, shifting the toddler to be in Gasters reach. 

“Thank you.” The old scientist extended his arms again, slowly extracting the youngling from the other’s grip and settling them on his lap before handing a bowl to the older child. He grabbed the spoon from the bowl in front of him and scooped up a small portion of food and held it in front of the waiting infant's mouth. To his surprise, the child didn’t immediately eat, but instead looked to the other youth. He grabbed his own spoon and took a small bite, brow bones raising at the pleasant taste, before looking back at the toddler.

“it’s ok. you can eat it.” Though his voice was soft, the words triggered the child in Gasters arms to open his mouth and lunge for the spoon in front of him, greedily swallowing the food. Gaster continued to provide spoonfuls to the infant, under the watchful eye of the older child. When he was half done, and the toddler nearly finished his bowl, the older child pushed his bowl towards the edge of the bed.

“i’m done. give the rest to him.” Gaster frowned at the obvious lie and shook his head gently. Resting the baby against his stomach, he grabbed the spoon from the oatmeal pot and refilled both bowls.

“There is plenty of food for both of you. You can eat as much as you want.” He had switched to English, same as the older child was speaking, though he knew his deep gravelly voice still had the Hands accent. He preferred speaking in Hands and tended to write all his notes in it unless he knew he was going to be sharing them. Returning his attention to the toddler on his lap, Gaster resumed feeding him as the older boy took his bowl back and continued eating. So much for being ‘done’.

Once both boys had eaten their fill, two bowls for the younger child and three for the older, Gaster handed a glass of milk to the boy on the bed while he held the other to the one on his lap. This time the tot didn’t wait for permission, but drank the milk completely and gave a contented little sigh when he was done. Gaster cleaned up the dishes, pausing to take a spoonful of the oatmeal for himself every now and then, while the older youth sipped his medicinal milk. The toddler had pulled himself to a standing position and was attempting to climb onto the bed, so Gaster raised him up gently. At some point the kid had managed to work his arms through the sleeves of the oversized shirt, and he used all his strength to drag himself beside the other boy.

“Now that we have been fed, I suppose an introduction is in order. My name is WingDings Gaster, but please, call me Gaster.” It didn’t occur to the oldest skeleton to ‘dumb’ down his vocabulary for the children. He looked patiently at the monster boy in the sweater, smiling slightly when the younger one babbled a response.

“i’m sans.” It took a while for the boy to speak, seemingly debating whether or not to trust Gaster with his name. The scientist nodded happily, then gestured to the babe who had curled up and quickly falling asleep in Sans lap.

“And your … brother?” He asked, fairly sure the two were related. He didn’t want to assume, but it was the logical conclusion. A small part of him was pleased when he noticed Sans yawn before replying, apparently the herbs were starting to take affect.

“papyrus.” Sans mumbled his answer, pupils dimming as he fought to stay awake. It had been so long since he’d been warm, since he’d been full, and the combination made him sleepy. 

“Pleased to meet you, Sans and Papyrus.” Gaster stood as he spoke, lifting the blanket and tucking the brothers in. “You are safe here now, please rest. If you need me, I will be downstairs. Just call and I will come.” His voice was hushed, the quiet tones lulling Sans to sleep as Gaster carried the tray from the room and gently closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I hate myself and am a masochist for writing, I've started a third story! ^.^
> 
> It's called "The underground of the Underground" and is a undertale mobster au! Not a part of this or "Never Stop"s universe, but a stand alone story. I had a lot of fun just writing the first chapter, and planning out some of the characters. So, shameless plug is shameless, go check it out!
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/5950420/chapters/13677640


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